Look at me, uploading [barely] just in time for September 1st. Happy "Welcome back to Hogwarts" day!
Alright, as promised, this is the chapter we see a shift in Susanna's personality. I'm introducing you to who she might've been if her life had gone a different direction. Remember, we all react to grief differently, so don't hold it against her too much. This chapter was a doozy to write, so I'm sure there are mistakes that I'll have to correct and some edits to be made, but I'm happy with it for now.
As always, I only claim my OC. I hope you enjoy!
Summer had begun creeping over the castle grounds. The sky brightened, the lake lightened, and flowers as the size of cabbages began to bloom in the greenhouses. And yet a heavy cloud hovered over nearly everyone's heads, spoiling the joy that should have come with good weather. With Professor Dumbledore suspended, fear spread through the halls of the castle like a wildfire. Almost every face bore a tense, worried expression. Rare laughter was mostly unnatural, and never long-lasting.
With the uptick in terror, and the potential for another attack at any moment, Madam Pomfrey had decided to bar visitors from entering the infirmary. "We're taking no chances." She told Susanna, Harry, and Ron when they attempted to visit Hermione the day after everything fell apart. The door was open just enough that the matron could return Susanna's broom to her. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off." Two weeks later, entry was still being denied. Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors alike tried to protest, but there was nothing to be done.
Each of the three Gryffindors found themselves affected in different ways. Ron had grown sullen, his sardonic quips and wisecracking remarks lackluster, or with a mean edge. The redheaded boy was often caught staring at Hermione's empty seat in class, occasionally turning to ask a question that wouldn't be answered. Harry seemed lost, constantly trapped in his own head. He looked around each corner, ears perked like a dog's as he tried to hear a voice that hadn't spoken since that fateful day. A momentary lapse in paranoia would have him grabbing his cousin and best friend, searching the castle for the spiders Hagrid told them to follow. It was a testament to Ron's mood that he never voiced his dislike for the task. There were none to be found.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Their windows of opportunity to explore the castle grounds under the Invisibility Cloak were few and far between. Any daytime adventures were hampered by the fact they weren't allowed to go anywhere on their own. Everyone traveled with their housemates and teachers escorted them from class-to-class.
Ron was sad. Harry was lost. But Susanna? Susanna was angry.
She was no stranger to rage. As a child, she merely hid it behind cruel laughter and even crueler pranks. After she saved Harry from a very much untimely death, she often acted as though it faded to nothing - at most, perhaps coming back in short bursts. But that was a lie. Her wrath was still there, simmering away until there was no stopping it from boiling over, the fire too quick to be extinguished.
Her patience ran thin. Any laugh or smirk from a Slytherin about Hermione that she caught wind of ended miserably for them. Millicent Bulstrode's face had erupted in boils during Potions - Susanna's "Furnunculus!" having been covered by her peers' murmurs and the bubbling cauldrons - after the larger girl made a cruel comment about how much quieter class was without "the know-it-all Muddy." Crabbe and Goyle were attacked by flying balls of mud for two days after Susanna caught them acting out what they believed happened to her best friend. Theodore Nott's clothes were covered in itching powder after she overheard him starting a bet about which Muggle-born would be next. Susanna had been itching to use her supply, Harry giving her his cloak without question so she could sneak into the laundry, only pleading with her to be careful.
He wasn't amused when Susanna reminded him they had two hours before curfew began. He didn't leave her side for hours after she returned to the common room, nevermind the fact she made it back with minutes to spare. She understood, though. She'd never admit to him or Ron how terrified she was walking through the corridors, hoping beyond hope that the cloak would keep her safe from whatever monster was lying in wait for another Muggle-born to attack.
This wasn't like the previous year, when Susanna went out of her way to make Hermione miserable, bullying the girl who would become one of her closest friends. She didn't feel remorse. She felt powerful. She felt vengeful. She couldn't keep Hermione from going to the library. She couldn't prevent her from being attacked, or make the Mandrakes grow any faster. She could, however, retaliate against the monsters enjoying the horror that consumed their school.
Maybe that's why Harry didn't say anything about her behavior. Maybe he hoped it was merely a phase, that eventually she'd learn to breathe again. Susanna didn't think it was very likely, but she'd offer him empty smiles if he looked to be asking for one.
Susanna had one reprieve. Fang. With Hagrid gone, the three Gryffindors pleaded with the temporary Headmistress to allow them to take care of the boarhound. Every morning, afternoon, and evening Professor McGonagall would escort them to Hagrid's hut. He was understandably lonely, eyes wide with sadness every time they had to leave them - much to their displeasure, they weren't allowed to bring him inside the castle. Not that he would go with them, anyway, far too loyal to Hagrid to leave the hut.
They never could stay for long, especially not in the evenings. The curfew hadn't changed, and with nothing to do the Gryffindor common room stayed packed until midnight. The noise was often too much for Susanna. Studying with Harry and Ron wasn't the same without Hermione. She couldn't let the grades slip, however, her best friend would kill her. No, Susanna sucked it up until her cousin and friend put down their quills, and then she'd hurry up to her dormitory until the common room cleared out. She couldn't sleep there without Hermione snoring lightly in the bed beside her. Just as bad was Lavender's, Parvati's, and Padma's hovering. She might've appreciated it more if she wasn't so angry.
At half-past-one when Susanna made it downstairs, exhausted but somehow too tired to sleep. Hades sat on her lap, purring as she stroked her fur and stared at the flames, willing herself to fall asleep. Soft footsteps had her blinking rapidly, wand in hand as she turned towards the stairs.
Ginny jumped, squeaking. Susanna quickly lowered her wand, Hades leaping off the couch as she stood. "I'm sorry, Ginny."
"I didn't mean to scare you… I-I mean… I just…" The younger redhead began to sob, Susanna attempting to shush her so their housemates would stay asleep. Ginny was more than happy to bury her face in her neck, the older girl slowly moving them towards the couch.
"What happened?"
"Nightmare." Ginny mumbled, slowly calming as they both settled onto the cushioned seats. Susanna pulled away to give her some space. When silence filled the empty common room for too long, the older redhead spoke up.
"I'm sorry your first year has been going the way it has."
Ginny sniffled, using her sleeve to rub under her nose. "Ron told me about some of what happened last year -"
"Last year, the only one Petrified was Neville, and that was from a spell that can be easily removed." Susanna cut her off. "This year, it's different. It's not the one any of us deserve."
"I'm sorry about Hermione." Ginny began to cry again, face going pale as she shakes. "I can't - I mean - I didn't -"
"Hermione isn't your fault." Susanna was quick to say, breathing deep so she didn't snap at the last person who deserved her anger. "A monster hurt her." Ginny continued to cry, the older Gryffindor trying to calm her by rubbing her arms. "Hey, whatever you saw, it was only a bad dream." Ginny shook her head. Professor Dumbledore's words suddenly came to her, back when Susanna and Harry were brought to his office. "I'm here, if there's anything you wish to tell me."
Ginny quickly shakes her head, tears flying everywhere. Susanna only waits, her patience soon rewarded. "I'm scared." The first year quietly admits, struggling to breathe.
With a sigh, Susanna begins to wipe away her tears. "Unfortunately, you should be." Her rough words are countered by the gentleness of her voice. "We all are. But we aren't alone. You aren't alone. I know I've been… angry. But I'm here, whenever you need to talk. Alright?" Ginny nodded. "Are you sure that's all you wanted to tell me?"
"No. That's all." Ginny murmured quietly, then stood. "I should… I'm going back to bed. Thank you." With that she scurried off.
Susanna watched her go with a frown, because she'd heard "no" in that tone of voice twice before. First from Harry, then from Riddle.
What was going on with Ginny?
Susanna spent most of the evening staring at the dying fire, mind caught between concern for Ginny and anger about Hermione and the rest of the Petrified. How much more of this would they have to take? How long until Professor McGonagall decided to close the school, and the cousins were forced back to Privet Drive? Hogwarts was their home.
With these questions weighing on her mind, and the already existing anger to boot, Susanna's shrunken patience was thinner than ice. Indeed, her mood was so bad that even Harry and Ron barely spoke to her, knowing it was better to give her some semblance of space.
Most of the morning passed in a blur, Susanna only answering one of Professor Flitwick's questions and absentmindedly jotting down notes as Professor Binns droned on about the The International Warlock Convention of 1289. Lunch was as quiet as breakfast, although Harry and Ron managed to rope her into a conversation about the Chudley Cannons. It hardly lasted long, any Quidditch discussions only serving to remind them about Hermione.
After lunch came Potions. It was the only class Susanna had managed to be totally present for, it being one of the most dangerous subjects. Unfortunately, Gryffindors shared their lessons with Slytherin. While most of the snakes had shut up about the attacks, one remained vocal about not only the Petrifications, but the headmaster's suspension as well.
"I always thought father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," Draco told Crabbe and Goyle, not even bothering to whisper, "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent one now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in."
Her grip on her stirring stick was so tight, she swore she might've crushed it. Harry and Ron were no less angry, glaring at the blonde as he spouted his nonsense. Susanna had yet to go after the smug git, wanting to save the best for last. It was the only semblance of patience that remained as she waited for the right moment to strike. Draco was unknowingly doing all he could to speed her along.
Professor Snape swept by the trio's table, making no comment about their Wiggenweld Potions, despite Susanna's being completed. "Sir!" Draco shouted, earning his attention, and the greasy-haired man walked over to his favorite student. "Sir, why don't you apply for the headmaster's job?"
"Now, now, Malfoy." Professor Snape thin lips pressed into a sly smile, one that reminded Susanna too much of her father's. Her stomach rolled at the thought, and she distracted herself by removing her potion from the heat. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough."
"Yeah, right." Draco snorted. Susanna briefly glanced back up. "I expect you'd have father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job - I'll tell father you're the best teacher here, sir -"
"Professor?" Susanna cut him off, not wanting to hear any more of the blonde's arse-kissing. She kept her hand raised as the Potions Master turned around, sneering at her interruption. "I've finished my potion, and I need to use the loo."
"Five points for your insolence."
Susanna's jaw clenched. "May I be excused? I have to use the loo." If she had to listen to anymore of Draco's drivel, she'd explode. Then she'd surely be expelled, leaving Harry and Ron to fend for themselves and abandoning Hermione.
"There are ten minutes left, surely you can hold it." Professor Snape challenged.
Draco sent her a smug grin, one that had Susanna on the verge of teaching him a lesson he'd never forget. So the redhead cleared her throat, forcing herself to blush. "Sir, I think I'm getting my, you know…" She whispered, waiting for him to lean forward impatiently. As soon as he did, she had to remind herself not to smirk. "Period". The man recoiled and the boys all groaned in disgust, Ron inching away from her.
"Very well. I shall call on the Bloody Baron to accompany you." Professor Snape replied stiffly, stepping out of the classroom to summon the Slytherin ghost.
"Might I go with her?" Pansy called after him, the Potions professor momentarily pausing. She only smirked at Susanna, daring to call out her bluff. The Gryffindor scowled back. "No one would harm a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, afterall. I could keep her safe. Besides, I only want to make amends for the horrible word I called her months ago."
"Hmm. How kind of you, Miss Parkinson." The Professor sent her a proud smile, eyes flicking over to the angry redhead. "And quite brave. I noticed none of the Gryffindors offered to protect their own housemate. Ten points, for a wonderful demonstration of interhouse relations."
Susanna swallowed the angry scream building inside her. "I'd appreciate it. Thank you, Pansy." She stood, moving to join the Bloody Baron and the spoiled bint beside him.
"Don't. You know she'll try to get you in trouble." Harry whispered.
Ron nodded. "He's right. We can't have you -"
"Be back soon. Don't touch my potion." She responded quickly.
The walk to the girls' bathroom was quiet, Susanna's hand remaining wrapped around her wand, hidden in her robe pocket. The Bloody Baron stood guard as the girls went inside.
"Well? Don't you have to check that you aren't bleeding?" Pansy huffed as Susanna ignored her, ignoring the stalls in favor of washing her face with cold water. "At least I earned ten points for your nonsense." The redhead gripped the sides of the sink, knuckles turning white. "Honestly, it's all so pathetic. Everyone can see you're only a few words away from crying like a baby." The Gryffindor took a deep breath, drying her face and hands. "Here you are, pretending to be tough. All to mask how scared you are. I'm sure you're next." Pansy let out a shrill giggle. "I wonder what it's like to be Petrified. Do you think you'd know you were stone? Would you see and hear everything going on around you?" Susanna made the mistake of glancing up in the mirror, meeting the Slytherin girl's evil grin. "I suppose that's a question for the other Mudbloods, not that I'd be caught dead talking to them, least of all Granger. That is, if they do wake up. Anything could happen to the Mandrakes - ah!"
A shocked gasp was punched out of Pansy as Susanna spun and grabbed her by the front of her robes, slamming the girl into the wall across from the sinks. The black-haired girl turned even paler as Susanna pushed her deeper into the bricks. The redhead's rage, Quidditch training, and years of ballet worked together to slightly lift Pansy off the ground, forcing her onto the balls of her feet. The Slytherin girl's wand clattered to the ground as she struggled to grab it.
"Let me go, you deranged Mudblood." Pansy ordered shakily.
"Oh, I'm not just a deranged Mudblood," Susanna smiled viciously before sneering, "I'm a vengeful Mudblood. Get your facts right, you ignorant, pathetic bitch. No, I'm sorry, that was much too cruel. Not to you, to dogs."
"Let me go." This time, Pansy was pleading.
Susanna laughed, incredulous. "All that talk, but when push comes to shove," she pressed her further into the wall, ignoring Pansy's pained whimper, "you don't even put up a fight."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -"
"No. No, I don't want your apology." Susanna scowled, blood pounding in her ears. "You don't mean it. None of you do."
"I'll tell." Pansy nodded, attempting a smug smile. "Professor Snape will believe me, then you'll be expelled. That's one less Mudblood polluting this school."
Susanna snorted. "No, you won't tell. Then you'd have to admit a Mudblood got the better of you. But go ahead, I dare you. I'd only say I was defending myself. I can be very convincing." She cleared her throat, and let tears well in her eyes. "'Oh, it was so awful. She kept threatening to offer me to the monster. I've never been so scared.'" Susanna blinked the wetness away, tilting her head as she observed Pansy's wide, terrified eyes. "Go ahead and tell. I dare you."
"Girls, are you quite alright?" The Bloody Baron called.
"Oh, we're just fine." Susanna shouted back, raising an eyebrow at Pansy.
"Ye-yes, we're nearly done!"
The Bloody Baron went silent once more, and the redhead smiled. "Now, where were we? Oh, right." Her smile was replaced with a scowl. "Stay away from me and mine, understand? If you don't, you're finished. I used to ruin nicer people than you for fun, and I am very good at it." Pansy nodded, and Susanna's empty smile returned. She slowly released the Slytherin, straightening her robes before quickly snatching the other girl's wand off the ground. "We should get back to class. Thank you so much for keeping me safe." She slipped the wand into Pansy's robe pocket, and nodded for her to walk.
The Slytherin remained in shock-induced silence as they returned to the classroom. Susanna engaged in small-talk with the Bloody Baron as the other girl marched in front of them, shoulders tense.
After Professor Snape briefly berated the two girls for their "lack of timeliness", she returned to her seat, winking at Pansy. The girl glowered, but otherwise sat down and remained quiet.
"Did she do anything?" Harry quickly asked as Susanna carefully ladled her potion into a beaker and capped it, carefully cleaning out her cauldron.
"No." She lied. "But I would've handled it, if she did."
Ron gulped at her tone. "Do you really have your, you know -"
"No. Needed a break." Susanna bit out. "What?" She nearly barked at Harry when she caught him staring at her.
"Nothing. Glad you asked for one." He responded gently, his cousin offering him an apologetic little smile.
"Did I miss anything?"
"Only Draco continuing to kiss that slimy git's arse." Ron grumbled, glaring at the blonde in front of them and the professor as he made the last of his rounds. "At least Snape didn't catch Seamus pretending to vomit into his cauldron, he's always good for a laugh."
Susanna hummed and picked up her contained potion, walking to the front of the class to leave it on Professor Snape's desk. She ignored Draco as he looked at her, briefly turning so he could keep smirking at her. Susanna finally glowered back, instantly mad at herself for giving into his attention-seeking as the boy refocused on his two goons.
"I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now." Draco's words were more whispered than his earlier, quickly reaching the three Gryffindor's ears. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger -"
The bell rang just as Ron and Susanna leapt off their stools, trying to pounce on the blonde Slytherin. Their attempts went unnoticed in the students' mad scramble to drop off their potions for inspection and collect their bags.
"Let me at him!" Ron growled as Harry struggled to keep him away from Draco. "I don't care, I don't need my wand -"
"I'll kill him. Only need my bare hands -" Susanna threatened, Dean hanging onto her as she attempted to shove him away.
"That makes two of us, Susie, we could get it done -"
"Hurry up, I've got to take you to Transfiguration and Herbology." Professor Snape barked over the students' heads. The class marched after him, Harry, Dean, Ron, and Susanna bringing up the rear. The two redheads still tried to get loose, but were only released when Professor McGonagall meant them halfway to gather the Slytherins. Ron and Susanna were still muttering their threats when Professor Snape had seen them out of the castle. They quickly cut across the vegetable patch towards the greenhouses.
Herbology was, as always, subdued, both Justin and Hermione still missing from their number. Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Susanna snipped at the withered stalks with a persisting scowl, one that was strengthened when Ernie Macmillan began speaking to her cousin.
"I just want to say, Harry, that I'm very sorry I ever suspected you." The Hufflepuff apologized once more. "I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now." Susanna pruned louder, Ron echoing her sentiment. "That Draco Malfoy character, he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir."
"That's clever of you." Ron snarked, Susanna snickering quietly at his unforgiving tone.
"Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked, seemingly having not heard either of the redheads.
"No." Harry said firmly, then suddenly gasped. He nudged his cousin, who was knocked into Ron.
"Watch it!" Ron gruffed out.
"Ouch, Harry." Susanna rubbed her side as she frowned over at her cousin. "What're you -" Harry pointed towards the large spiders scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass windows. She began to smile, relief flowing through her veins. She hadn't felt this hopeful in weeks.
Ron was less happy. "Oh, yeah." He looked anything but pleased. "But we can't follow them now - ouch, seriously?" He whispered at Susanna when she hit him over his hand with her pruning shears, nodding over at Ernie and Hannah Abbott, the two Hufflepuffs listening curiously.
"Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest." Harry quietly announced. Ron groaned in response, and Susanna couldn't find herself disagreeing with him.
When class had ended, Professor Sprout escorted them to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Harry, Susanna, and Ron walked in the back once more, this time to speak out of earshot.
"We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again." Harry whispered.
Susanna hummed. "We can take Fang, too. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he could be helpful."
"Right." Ron then twirled his taped wand nervously in his fingers. "Er, aren't there - aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" He asked as they took their usual seats in the back of Lockhart's classroom. Susanna suddenly remembered Ron hadn't been in the Forbidden Forest before. He'd missed detention last year on account of Norbert biting his hand.
"There are good things in there, too." Harry tried to be positive. "The centaurs are alright, and there are unicorns -"
Lockhart bounded into the classroom, their conversation momentarily paused. While the rest of the staff looked grimmer than usual, the Defense professor was anything but. On the contrary, he'd appeared nothing short of buoyant as the fear-filled weeks dragged on. "Come, now." He beamed at the unenthusiastic students. "Why all these long faces? Don't you people realize," he said slowly, as though they were all dim, "the danger has passed! The culprit was taken away -"
"Says who?" Dean asked loudly.
"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty!" Lockhart answered, exasperated.
"Why not? It happens all the time in the muggle world." Susanna was unable to stop herself from firing back, Dean nodding in agreement.
Lockhart gaped at her, before smiling in a self-satisfied manner. "I flatter myself I know a touch more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Ms. Dursley."
Before either she or Ron could tell him how wrong he was, Harry quickly stopped them. "We weren't supposed to be there, remember?" He muttered, Ron groaning as the Boy Who Live had kicked his shin in his effort to keep the other boy quiet.
Any joy that filled Susanna from Harry's discovery of the spiders withered away as Lockhart cheerfully announced his hints that he'd always thought Hagrid was no good, fully confident that the whole "business" had come to an end. Even Harry was enraged, Susanna eyeing the way he clutched his copy of Gadding with Ghouls, as if preparing to throw it at their nitwit of a professor. Eventually he released it to scrawl a note to his cousin and their friend, sliding it to the two redheads.
Let's do it tonight.
Susanna nodded at her cousin while Ron swallowed loudly. She turned to see him staring at the seat Hermione filled, and soon enough he straightened his back, stiffening his resolve.
The Gryffindor common room was as crowded as usual, meaning the three second years would have to wait until midnight for their little adventure. To avoid any suspicion, they all changed into their pajamas after returning from dinner. Harry made sure to retrieve his Invisibility Cloak as well, sitting on it as they waited for the rest of their housemates to go to bed. Fred and George challenged Susanna's cousin and Ron to a game of Exploding Snap. Susanna and Ginny sat together on the couch, both girls petting the preening Hades as he basked in their affection, somehow more sociable than his human. Susanna was just relieved he no longer hissed at the rest of the Gryffindors.
It was well past midnight when everyone retired for the evening, the Weasley twins and their sister the last to disappear up the stairs. As soon as the two dormitory doors closed, Harry threw the cloak over his cousin and their friend and climbed out through the portrait hole. The journey through the castle was as hard as the one they made that last evening they snuck out. After dodging what might have been the school's entire faculty, they reached the entrance hall. They opened the oak front doors as quietly as possible, not wanting to alert the professors of any suspicious creaking. Once they'd walked far enough away from the castle they removed the cloak, eager for fresh air.
"'Course," Ron was the first one to speak as they walked the moonlit grounds, "we might get into the forest and find there's nothing to follow. Those spiders might not've been going there at all. I know it looked like they were moving in that sort of general direction, but… it might be nothing." He practically squeaked out.
Susanna grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe from the spiders." There wasn't a hint of teasing in her tone, the other redhead entirely genuine. Ron smiled slightly, though he still looked paler than usual.
Once they reached Hagrid's hut, Susanna was the first to open the door, Fang already barking excitedly when the three Gryffindors appeared. She was quick to calm him, Harry exhaling with relief. "Thanks. Any more of that, and we'd have had to feed him some treacle toffee. That'd have glued his teeth together."
Susanna scowled at her cousin while petting Fang. "You best be joking, Freak."
"I am! Sort of." He whispered, the red-haired girl rolling her eyes before her attention returned to Hagrid's boarhound.
"Fang, we're going to go for a walk. Stay close, yeah?" The dog huffed in agreement, and the girl stood. Harry set the Invisibility Cloak on Hagrid's table, having no need for it in the pitch-black forest. Susanna opened the door and Fang bounded happily outside, hurrying to relieve himself against a giant sycamore tree.
"Lumos!" Harry and Susanna said, a small light appearing at the tips of their wands.
"Good thinking." Ron said, then frowned. "I'd light mine, too, but you know… it'd probably blow up or something -"
"Look!" Harry cut him off, pointing sharply at the two spiders hurrying away from the light and into the shade of the trees.
"Okay." Ron grumbled. "I'm ready. Let's go."
Susanna's hand tightened around her wand as they inched towards the forest, her fear of what they'd meet outweighed by her urgent desire to put a stop to the madness and find out what hurt her best friend and all the others who'd been Petrified. Fang scampered around the trio, sniffing roots and leaves. The glow of the cousins' wands made it easy to follow the stream of spiders. They followed the winding path deeper into the thick grove of trees, until the stars above them were no longer visible.
The spider guides suddenly left the path, momentarily disappearing from view. None of the Gryffindors could see anything past the little sphere of light at the tips of the cousins' wands. Fang barked, startling Harry enough that he bumped into Susanna while stepping on Ron's foot, the other boy cursing creatively in response.
"Didn't Hagrid tell us not to leave the path last year?" Harry asked while he calmed down. "What d'you reckon?" He turned to Susanna and a hopping Ron.
"We've come this far." Ron murmured.
Susanna nodded firmly. "For Hermione. Always."
"For Hermione." Harry agreed, and they walked in the direction the spiders disappeared. They were able to find and follow the darting shadows of the arachnids, although the Gryffindors moved slower than before. More tree roots and stumps stood in their way, barely visibly even in wandlight. Occasionally Harry and Susanna would have to crouch to see where the spiders had scurried off too, Ron whimpering when he was left in the dark. The cousins made sure to warn him when they did, Fang standing loyally by the red-haired boy's side.
After walking for what might have been at least half an hour, their pajamas and sleep robes snagging and slightly tearing on low-slung branches, the ground began to slope downward. The trees remained as thick as ever, doing nothing to reassure the three Gryffindors. Suddenly, Fang began to howl, Harry, Ron, and Susanna nearly jumping out of their skins. Something moved to their right, much louder than the spiders that had led them through the forest.
"What was that?" Ron squeaked.
"I don't know, but it sounded big." Harry whispered.
Branches snapped, making them jolt again. "Oh, no." Ron whimpered. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh -"
"Shh, Ron." Susanna quietly shushed her best friend. "It'll hear you."
"Hear me?" Ron's voice came out unnaturally high. "It's already heard Fang!"
There was a strange rumbling noise, then silence. Susanna ran through every defensive spell she and Hermione had practiced as they all waited, terrified, for whatever had found them to show itself.
"What d'you think it's doing?" Harry whispered as the silence persisted.
"Probably getting ready to pounce." Ron muttered.
"Both of you, shut up." Susanna hissed, patience wearing thin the longer they waited.
"D'you think it's gone?" Harry asked after a few more moments.
"Dunno -"
A sudden blaze of light had them all covering their eyes, temporarily blinding them. Poor Fang yelped and tried to run, only to get tangled in a thorny bush. He howled louder, Susanna crying out for him as Ron gasped.
"Harry, Susie!" His shouts were relieved? "It's our car!"
"What?"
"I'm sorry?" Harry and Susanna asked, dropping their arms to stare at the redheaded boy in disbelief, but he paid them no mind as he stumbled closer to the blinding light. Harry followed close behind, Susanna helping a distressed Fang before they joined their two companions.
Sure enough, Mr. Weasley's car was standing in the middle of a grove of thick trees. Dense branches acted like a roof above the Ford Anglia. Its headlights remained ablaze, the three Gryffindors blinking so their eyes could adjust to the overwhelming brightness.
"It's been here all this time!" Ron cheered, delighted, walking around it. "Look at it, the forest's turned it wild!" The sides of the car were scratched and covered in mud, suggesting it'd taken to cruising around the forest on its own.
Fang barked distrustfully at the Ford Anglia, staying close to Harry and Susanna. While Harry stuffed his Nox-ed wand into the pocket of his sleep robe, Susanna kept her hand wrapped around hers, still lit.
"And we thought it was going to attack us!" Ron exclaimed as he leaned against the car, patting it affectionately. "I wondered where it had gone!"
Harry groaned, Susanna glancing over at him as he scanned the ground. "We've lost the trail." He huffed in frustration. "The spiders are gone, we've got to go find them."
"Right. Ron, stop touching the car, it's only getting weird." Susanna said without looking at her friend, too busy joining Harry in searching for the arachnids they'd been following. She frowned when her comment was met with silence, and glanced over at him.
Ron stood frozen, eyes fixed well above the cousins' heads. His face was full of terror as he began to point at what was behind them, but they had no time to turn around. There was a loud clicking noise, just before something long and hairy grabbed Susanna around her waist and lifted her up. It was only because of her grip that her wand didn't fall to the forest. As she screamed and struggled, attempting to break free, she saw Harry and Ron be snatched up as well, though they were silent in their horror. Fang howled, and she shouted for him to run, but she was too late - he yelped as he was grabbed as well.
Head hanging, Susanna realized what massive creatures had grabbed them. Six legs skittered under her, two more holding her tightly beneath two pincers.
It seemed the spiders had found them instead.
Susanna had never really been afraid of spiders. She once turned her brother's game disk into a whole swarm of tiny arachnids, laughing as they skittered past her to chase her screaming twin. Even the slightly larger ones Harry had pointed out earlier that day didn't frighten her - she could've easily used Expelliarmus to send them flying back.
Nothing would have prepared her for the giant ones currently carrying her, Harry, Ron, and Fang deep into the forest. She didn't know how long they ventured into the heart of the forest. Along the way she'd tried to use her wand, but the spiders moved too fast for her to stop them, and she couldn't see where her cousin and friends were. Fang had stopped howling the deeper they traveled, his loud panting the only thing assuring her that he was still alive, as was Harry's and Ron's heavy breathing.
When they reached the giant spiders' destination, the Gryffindors and Fang were carried down a steep slope towards a misty, domed web at the center of a vast hollow. The monster carrying her released the redhead, and Susanna fell to the ground on all fours. She struggled to stand, holding her wand weakly in front of her.
Harry, Ron, and Fang soon followed, but she paid them little mind as she spun around, each twist of her body met with carthorse-sized spiders, their eight eyes blinking back at her, pincers clicking hungrily.
"Suze? Suze, are you okay?" She snapped to awareness as Harry turned her to face him, her cousin checking her for any injuries.
"Sp-spiders. Gi-giant spiders." Ron panicked beside them.
The spiders' pincers clicked louder, but another sound was added - their voices, all chanting one name.
"Aragog! Aragog!"
From the center of the misty, domed web came a spider as large as Hagrid's hut. Fang whined and ran to Susanna's side. The closer the massive arachnid came, the better the redheaded girl could see him - and then wished she couldn't. Gray hair mingled with the black of its body and legs, the latter of which were three times the size of a broomstick. More reassuring was its milk eyes.
This spider, however terrifying it was, was blind.
"What is it?" The spider asked, the voice sounding male.
"Humans." The spider who'd grabbed Harry announced.
"Is it Hagrid?" Aragog asked.
Hagrid. This spider knew Hagrid, of course it knew Hagrid. Hagrid said to follow the spiders to find the answers. Why would he want them to follow the spiders? What did the spiders have to do with -
Susanna gasped, her free hand grabbing Harry's elbow tightly in realization. He spared a quick glance at her, but his own terror won over his curiosity for whatever she had to say.
"Strangers." Ron's spider clicked out in response.
"Kill them." Aragog ordered, groaning. "I was sleeping…"
"We're friends of Hagrid's!" Harry shouted, having finally found his voice.
Aragog paused as the other spiders' clicked their pincers, the sounds echoing in the hollow. "Hagrid has never sent humans into our hollow before." He spoke slowly.
"He's in trouble, that's why we're here!" Susanna was quick to say.
"In trouble?" The old spider asked, and there was no mishearing the concern in his voice. "But why has he sent you?"
"Fifty years ago…" Susanna began, eyeing a couple of spiders as they slowly moved towards her. "Uh, fifty years ago, the school was attacked. Hagrid was expelled as a result. But you already knew that, didn't you, they all thought it was you." Harry and Ron looked at her, jaws dropped. "The attacks, they're happening again -"
"They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban." Harry added, emboldened by his cousin's discovery.
Aragog's pincers clicked furiously, echoed by the crowd of spiders, as if in applause. It wasn't like the cheering after her dance recitals, though - those always left her feeling happy, while she only felt dread in that moment.
"But that was years ago." Aragog responded. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. I was there, you were right. They made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."
"And you… you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked, gulping loudly as Aragog made an angry noise.
"I! I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in the cupboard in the castle, feeding me scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man."
"He is." Susanna agreed, wincing when the spiders clicked at her interruption.
Aragog continued as though she'd never said a word. "When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness."
Wonderful, Susanna eyed the crowd of arachnids - no, Acromantulas, these were magical spiders - once more, wishing Hagrid wasn't quite so good.
"So you never… never attacked anyone?" Harry asked, voice quivering.
"Never!" The old spider croaked. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet."
"But then… do you know what did kill that girl?" Harry asked. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again -"
The rest of his statement was drowned out by an explosive outbreak of angrily clicking and the rustling of gargantuan legs shifting. Someone grabbed her left arm - hand still clenched around her wand - and Susanna realized Ron had moved from Harry's side to hold onto her. She bumped him in response, letting her fellow redhead move even closer.
"The thing that lives in the castle," Aragog spat, "is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school."
"What is it?" Susanna asked urgently, ignoring Ron's whimpering. The Acromantulas clicking grew even louder and angrier, a sentiment the redhead returned. She felt her own rage itching to escape, irritated that they were so close to knowing what the monster was.
"We do not speak of it!" Aragog spoke fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times."
"Aragog, sir -" Susanna attempted to speak as respectfully as she was capable, given her thinning patience.
"No!" Aragog roared, and the redhead could feel the spiders closing in on them. "We do not name it!" He repeated, then groaned, exhausted. Susanna shook with fury as he backed slowly into his web, though Ron and Harry's quiet yelps alerted her to his fellow spiders continuing to inch towards them.
Her cousin cleared his throat. "We'll just go then."
"Go?" Aragog spoke slowly. "I think not."
"But - but -" Harry stammered, and Susanna carefully removed Ron's hand from her arm, starting to raise her wand.
"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friends of Hagrid." Aragog bid them farewell as he disappeared into his domed webs.
Susanna was quick to spin, wand already raised to the closest Acromantula. "Flipendo!" She shouted, the spider screeching as it flipped backwards, landing on its back. "Flipendo!" Another spider went flying. "Harry, bloody hell, use your damn wand!" Susanna roared as more spiders neared, consumed with rage by the girls' attacks. "Immobulus!" Two more froze.
"Flipendo!" Her cousin called, forcing off an approaching Acromantula as he drew his wand. "There's too many of them, Suze -"
A loud, long note sounded, cutting her cousin off. A blaze of light followed, and Mr. Weasley's car came thundering down the slope. Headlights glaring and horn screeching, the Ford Anglia knocked spiders aside, throwing several on their backs. It stopped in front of the three Gryffindors, its doors flying open.
Wasting no time, Susanna whistled. "Fang, come on!"
The boarhound barked and followed her into the back of the car, Harry and Ron getting into the front. As soon as they were inside, the doors slammed shut. Ron screamed as the engine roared without him touching the accelerator. Then they were off, hitting more spiders as they sped up the slope and out of the hollow. Susanna held Ron's seat as they crashed through the forest, branches scratching the windows. It followed its own path, smashing its way through the undergrowth, mirror snapping off as they squeezed past a large oak.
After a handful of rocky minutes filled with their shocked screams and Fang's horrified yelps, the trees finally thinned. The car came to a sudden stop, nearly throwing them all into the windshield - Susanna belatedly realized she hadn't put on her seatbelt, groaning at her own stupidity.
They'd reached the edge of the forest, the nightmare of an adventure hopefully over. The doors opened and Fang burst out, shooting off through the trees to Hagrid's hut. Susanna couldn't blame him, but her legs were too shaky to follow. Ron was in even worse shape, covered in sweat and cheeks tinted green. Harry seemed to be in the best shape, Susanna nodding at her cousin as he hurried after Fang. She pocketed her wand as Ron threw an arm around her shoulders, murmuring his gratitude as they staggered towards the hut. She briefly turned her head to watch the Ford Anglia disappear into the forest, and decided that perhaps the boys' decision to fly it to Hogwarts was worth it, in the end.
Just as soon as they reached Hagrid's pumpkin patch, Ron began to gag. Susanna quickly helped him lean over, rubbing his back and wrinkling her nose as he heaved. Harry emerged from the hut, Invisibility Cloak in hand.
After a few moments Ron's vomiting subsided. "Follow the spiders? Why couldn't we follow the butterflies?" He groaned, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive."
"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his." Harry suggested.
"That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" Ron thumped the nearest pumpkin with a clenched first. "He always thinks that monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban!" He began to shiver despite the warmth his sleep robe provided. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found?"
"That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets. He was innocent." Harry said, throwing his cloak over them.
Susanna scoffed as Ron snorted. "We knew that already, didn't we?"
"We learned a little more about the monster." Harry offered.
His cousin shook her head. "Not enough. Maybe. The least Aragog could've done was tell us what it is, if he thought we were going to die anyway." She grumbled as they set off for the castle.
While they carefully made their way back inside, Susanna went over everything Aragog had said. Spiders most fear the monster… ancient creature… girl killed in bathroom… spider most fear the monster… ancient creature -
"Mollitiam." Harry murmured, Susanna jumping slightly when she realized they'd made it back to the Tower. The portrait opened, the Fat Lady tiredly threatening to tell the Headmistress that a student had broken curfew, not that she could even see them.
As soon as they reached the safety of the common room, the three Gryffindors collapsed onto the couch, Hades meowing at their arrival. They sat in silence, just watching the flames. To Susanna, it felt that a month had passed, not a day - was it really just that afternoon that she confronted Pansy?
Harry gasped, suddenly sitting up. Ron and Susanna followed him, asking what was wrong, but he waved them off. He leapt to his feet, turning to stare down at them with wide eyes. "Ron, Suze - that girl who died. Aragog said she was found in the bathroom." He hissed, none of them wanting to wake their housemates. "What if she never left? What if she's -"
"Still there." Susanna finished for him. Girl killed in the bathroom. Girl killed - "When did she die?"
"I don't know. We could ask." Harry licked his lips.
"Who are you talking about?" Ron rubbed his eyes, exhausted. "Who was found in the -" He stopped himself, finally understanding. "You don't think - not Moaning Myrtle?"
The Susanna you see in this chapter is definitely a taste of both what she used to be like, as well as who she would've become had she and Harry never forged the bond they have. While the title of this story is "A Most Undursleyish Dursley", some of the Dursley behavior still lingers. However, it's not presented in a different way - she isn't behaving as she used to "for pleasure" but in defense of her friends and herself. I'm not excusing what she's done, she definitely wrestles with it in the next chapter, but to me it felt the only way she'd react to Hermione's attack. As she'll later say, most of her impulse control is Hermione. While Harry always encourages her to be her best self, he and Ron are also down for messing with the Slytherins, especially Draco and his buddies. Hermione has her moments, but she's usually a bit more subdued (Rita Skeeter trapped in a glass jar aside). She and Harry will have a very constructive conversation about her behavior in the next chapter, and honestly I think it's my favorite moment that I've written for them so far.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!